A gravelly voiced street person and cocaine addict, Tom Jackson would have seemed like an unlikely candidate for being any kind of treasure from 15 to 22.
An actor, singer, concert promoter, and philanthropist who has raised $200 million for food banks and disaster relief, Tom Jackson is an obvious choice as a national treasure, even without taking into consideration the circumstances he has risen above.
As it turns out, he’s been an obvious choice for a few other awards as well:
- CCMA Humanitarian Award 1996
- Officer of the Order of Canada 2000
- Queen’s Jubilee Medals 2002 and 2012
- Order of Canada Advisory Committee Member 2004-2007
- AB and SK Centennial Medals 2005
- Juno Humanitarian Award 2007
- Gemini Humanitarian Award 2007
- Honorary Degree recipient ““ 9 universities ““ 1998 to 2010
- Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement 2014
“You don’t have to change the whole world,
you just have to change your world, and the rest will follow.”
– Tom Jackson
Watch his interview with George Strombolopolous.
Listen to his rendition of the Huron Carol (another national treasure).
We have had the privilege of attending Jackson’s Huron Carol a couple of times. It’s a warm wonderful evening of heart and music.
Ian – It seemed to get good repeat customers (like Stuart McLean’s Christmas show used to), which seems like a good test of value to me.